Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Sexually transmitted diseases on the rise in Minnesota
  More Minnesotans were diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases last year than ever before. The increase is occurring fastest in Minnesota's minority communities, in the Twin Cities suburbs, and among teenagers and young adults.5:18 p.m.
• Lawyers help others get financial assistance
  Rising college tuition in recent years has significantly increased the amount of debt students take on, especially for students in specialized disciplines like law school. A nonprofit program in Minnesota hopes to offset law school loan payments for graduates who specifically serve low-income clients.5:23 p.m.
• Opera fights crime on Block E
  A business in downtown Minneapolis is trying to deter crime in its immediate area by piping opera music out onto the street corner.5:52 p.m.
• Poet Dennis O'Driscoll finds inspiration in the workaday world
  Irish poet Dennis O'Driscoll is being recognized by St. Thomas University for his writing. O'Driscoll's day job is in Ireland's revenue department, but he says he finds plenty of inspiration for his poetry from the working life.6:19 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• The Guest Worker Idea, a Non-Starter in Debate
  Commentator Mark Kirkorian takes note of the assumption that if there is a guest-worker program, most of the guest-workers will be from Mexico -- just as most illegal immigrants are now from Mexico. Kirkorian argues that a formal guest-worker program would draw in many more workers from Asia and the Middle East, doing little to ease the problem of illegal immigration and leading to possible security problems.
• Rep. McKinney Apologizes for Capitol Run-In
  Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), whose altercation with a Capitol Police officer last week led to a firestorm, apologizes on the House floor. McKinney, who is black, had said that the white officer touched her "inappropriately" when she walked past security. Reports indicate that she hit the officer with her cell phone.
• Bush Moves to Keep Paulison at Head of FEMA
  The White House plans to nominate acting FEMA director David Paulison to permanently take the post. Paulison took over FEMA last September, after Michael Brown quit in the tumultuous wake of Hurricane Katrina.
• White House Authorized Leaks, Libby Says
  Former vice presidential aide Lewis Libby, indicted for leaking a CIA agent's identity, has testified that any classified information he may have leaked to a reporter was authorized for release by President Bush through the vice president. The claim is included in court documents released Thursday.
• Gonzales Frustrates Lawmakers on Domestic Spying
  Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is grilled about federal domestic surveillance during an appearance at the House Judiciary Committee. Gonzales refused to elaborate on the program, other than to say he believes it is legal. Both Republicans and Democrats accused him of stonewalling.
• Moussaoui Jury Hears Sept. 11 Testimony
  Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani testifies at the sentencing trial of admitted al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. In arguing for the death penalty, prosecutors are calling on the families of people killed in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to testify.
• Watching the Moussaoui Trial: The Kleinbergs
  Mindy Kleinberg's husband, Alan, was a securities trader with Cantor Fitzgerald, working on the 104th floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center. Kleinberg has watched some of the Zacarias Moussaoui trial on closed circuit TV, at a satellite courtroom in Newark, N.J., set up for victims' families. Melissa Block talks with Mindy Kleinberg.
• Watching the Moussaoui Trial: The Regenhards
  Sally Regenhard's 27-year-old son Christian was a firefighter who was just starting out with the New York Fire Department when he was killed on 9/11. She says she went to the Federal Court House in Alexandria, Va., where the trial of Zacarias Moussaui was taking place, to see him for herself. Melissa Block talks with Sally Regenhard.
• Groups Unite in Dislike of Freeloaders
  No one likes a freeloader. Now, German scientists may have figured out why. In an experiment, they found that groups that didn't punish freeloaders couldn't compete economically with groups that took a hard line.
• Former NYC Police Found Guilty in Mob Killings
  In New York, two former police detectives have been convicted of working as hit men for the Mafia during their years on the force. A federal jury found Louis Eppolito and Steven Caracappa guilty of murder, racketeering and witness tampering.
• Peruvians' Choice: A Woman, or the Left
  On April 9, Peruvians go to the polls to choose a new president. The frontrunners are Lourdes Flores Nano, a former congresswoman trying to become Latin America's second female president elected this year, and Ollanta Humala, an authoritarian, nationalistic ex-military commander.
• Secret Hiding Place Yields Key to Rockwell Mystery
  The mystery of the flaws in one of Norman Rockwell's most famous illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post has been solved: The original has been found, hidden in a secret compartment in a family home, while the painting believed to be the original turns out to be a masterful forgery.
• Conservative Black Clergy Make Waves from Pulpit
  Black churches, often a bastion of groups calling for change and reform, have seen the recent rise of a few prominent conservative black pastors. In many cases, their work has energized, and divided, their congregation -- and the split has spilled over into politics.
• Walking on Water: Jesus on the Rocks?
  The Bible says that Jesus walked on water. But Florida State University oceanographer Doron Nof has published research suggesting he may have in fact been walking on ice. We hear from Nof as he explains his theory.
• Buzz of Permanent Iraq Bases Irks Congress
  Members of Congress are becoming increasingly concerned that the United States is planning to keep permanent military bases in Iraq. In public comments, Pentagon leaders have not ruled out the possibility. At the moment, the military is trying to consolidate its bases in Iraq into fewer, but larger facilities.

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